Improve 82 Bus Service

13 July 2017

Reposted from https://www.lukehall.org.uk/campaigns/back-our-82-bus-campaign.

As your local MP, I am helping to co-ordinate a community response for an improved 82 bus service, and to bring the 82 back to Chipping Sodbury High Street.

Together we have already campaigned for a consultation on Council-supported bus services, which has now been secured and was launched by South Gloucestershire Council in June.

The consultation, which finishes on the 3rd of September, asks residents for their views on the current services, such as what time and day they use the bus, if residents feel they are well served by the current services, and a range of other questions relating to bus travel across South Gloucestershire.

The consultation is expected to report its results in January 2018, which will then help form the region’s bus strategy which is due to be implemented by the area’s new regional Mayor Tim Bowles.

The 82 Bus Service was altered last summer as the Council reorganised its supported routes. The changes resulted in the ‘splitting’ of the original 82 Bus to Southmead Hospital, with a new 84/85 service serving the northern villages of South Gloucestershire (Wotten-Under-Edge, Via Wickwar to Chipping Sodbury) and with the 82 Service beginning in Yate rather than Chipping Sodbury High Street.After residents raised their concerns over the new services, I began a campaign to take up the fight to see improvements in the service was launched, as part of my Get South Gloucestershire Moving! transport campaign.

As your MP, I swiftly met with First Bus, the Council, and Stagecoach to relay the concerns and to press for better timetabling between the two services for those relying on it to access Southmead Hospital. The meetings and pressure resulted in a review of the timetables between the 82 and 84/5 services, with a new timetable implemented last November.

Following my ‘Get Yate and Sodbury Moving!’ survey, I was able to collate information from thousands of responses where three main issues were highlighted:

– The desire to see the 82 Service begin its journey from Chipping Sodbury High Street.

– Residents would like to see earlier start and later finish times, with improved frequency of buses during peak hours.

– An improved reliability of the current service.

I am delighted that the review both myself and Councillor Rob Creer have secured, with residents help, is now up and running. Our campaign to see an improved 82 service returned to Chipping Sodbury has been hard fought so far, and we now need residents help once again so we can use this opportunity to make sure our voices are heard on this important service.

There is more to do, and I am urging residents to back the 82 Bus Campaign by signing a petition, listing the three improvements which residents have asked for, which will then be submitted.